The Wrestler

Copyright 2008, Fox Searchlight Pictures

It's interesting that both The Wrestler and Gran Torino, which is now officially the most overrated film of 2008 (whatever issues I had with Slumdog Millionaire does not erase the fact that it is, at the very least, a good movie), have similar performances which are meant to elevate above the material being worked with. In one case, we have Mickey Rourke and, to an extent, Marisa Tomei playing outsize versions of themselves; in the other, we have Clint Eastwood playing, if not himself, an outsize version of what most people perceive to be his persona; also, he is surrounded by first-time actors who aren't asked to stretch too much outside of their geographical state of mind. One of these films, the Eastwood picture, fails miserably. The Wrestler, however, is a tragic triumph.

There isn't much of a plot in Darren Aronofsky's latest film; what we are given is the character study of Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a once-legendary wrestler who peaked in 1989 with an historic fight against the Ayatollah. Since that time, he's bloated his body with steroids, tanning machines, other recreational drugs, and a wealth of alcohol. The Ram still has a small but devoted fanbase who watch him as he fights in church basements and banquet halls, but his real life, where he lives in a trailer, drives around in a years-old van, and works in the backroom of a local grocery store, is as far away from his older, starry life. When a fighting promoter offers the Ram a chance at a 20th anniversary rematch with the Ayatollah, he sees a chance to grab stardom once again.

That The Wrestler is a painful film to watch is a compliment, as Aronofsky doesn't shy away from the gruesome nature of what goes on in the ring. Oh, sure, before they go inside, the wrestlers will talk about who'll do what to whom, and who'll wind up victorious; that doesn't excuse the fact that when a fellow fighter staple-guns the Ram all over his torso, blood comes out of every necessary pore. Of course, there are only three wrestling matches in this film; it's what happens elsewhere that puts a grimace on the audience's collective face. We watch the Ram as he tries, almost childishly, to strike up relationships with Cassidy (Tomei), a kind-hearted stripper who's spurned by customers because she's not young enough, and Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood), his estranged daughter. Neither ends the way we'd like them to, and as each relationship draws closer to a conclusion, the levels of discomfort rise. What pain the Ram feels in this film, we feel.

And, let's be honest, what am I going to tell you about Mickey Rourke's performance here that you haven't heard elsewhere? Yes, it's worth the hype. Alongside Heath Ledger in The Dark Knight, this is one of the best performances of 2008. Rourke's past lends more credibility, more reality to the Ram than any other actor's life ever could. Nothing feels awkward in Rourke's performance, nor does anything feel mannered, faked. In every scene, Rourke not only makes the Ram a real person instead of a caricature, and he also makes every other actor work harder, to try and be as real, as alive, as believable as he is. Whatever other performances have dominated pop culture this year, this is the best lead performance of the year, and the unfortunate likelihood that Rourke will lose the Oscar to Sean Penn (who is great in an otherwise good film, Milk) or Eastwood (a consolation prize that is not as deserved as some think) is truly sad.

Of course, this is not a perfect film, but is there such complete perfection in any movie these days? The script, by Robert Siegel, is a good one, but does have slightly cliche characters, specifically Cassidy, who is a stripper with a heart of gold and a son. That Tomei makes the character work despite the cliche is a powerful testament to her continuing talent as an actress. Also, in her final scene, Wood is given a speech that, while perhaps appropriate to deliver, feels and sounds too melodramatic. Part of this lays with the script, but Wood herself is also far too grandiose in her emotions in this scene, as she faces down Rourke for his past mistakes. His heart breaks silently, while she flails around the screen.

I forgive whatever flaws this film has, not just because of Rourke, who I hope continues his streak of strong acting. Aronofsky, a director with only four films under his belt, but completely unique ones, with his director of photography, Maryse Alberti, use hand-held photography not only to make us feel as if we are right inside the ring with the Ram but to make us part of the story. We are not just the audience outside the fight, screaming for blood, calling out profane chants. We are inside the Ram's head, inside his story, inside his sad, excruciating battle to regain a popularity that will never crystallize.

Four stars out of four